By Beatrice Gondyi, Bauchi State
Bauchi State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) says it will incorporate the use of technology in its operations in order to improve internally generated revenue (IGR) derive for the state.
Chairman of the State Revenue service, Alhaji Mu’azu Usman, explained that various critical stakeholders have been engaged to a roundtable discussion where some mutual agreements were reached.
The Chairman stated this in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi, yesterday. He noted that a meeting held between the board and all the 20 local government chairmen in the state was aimed at addressing major challenges especially of multiple taxation, thereby harmonizing collections and blocking leakages.
He said at the moment, multiple agencies are collecting revenue which is becoming a source of worry, necessitating the board’s resolve to rectify and address grey areas for the betterment of the entire people of the state.
He explained that all the local government chairmen have reasoned with the board and pledge their support.
The BIRS executive chairman who further said efficiency must be ensured in the process, added that automation system would be deployed.
He maintained that at the state level, they have capacity more than at the local government, saying they will adopt the capacity to assist in revenue derive of the local councils as well.
According to him, “automation will play a key role, will do away with cash collection, will do away with manual processes of collecting and accounting for revenue”.
“So, all those will help to fast track collection process and remove leakages and make it a bit easier because they want the tax payers to find it easy to comply, so that the cost of compliance will be very low for them”, Alhaji Usman stated.
Mu’azu Usman who identified many transport unions amongst other key stakeholders in revenue generation, however, said the administration of road taxes has been very challenging to the board in the past.
He expressed gratitude to God because they are overcoming the challenges now.
The board, he explained had problems before, saying there was no enforcement on anything to do with road tax until recently when the state governor Bala Mohammed commissioned the Bauchi State Road Traffic Agency BAROTA, which the board is partnering to see how it can help to enforce traffic regulations in the state.
The BIRS according to Mu’azu Usman has been collaborating with all transport unions such as NURTW, RTEAN, Achaba and Keke Napep to enforce any matter related to road tax, saying they have started weigh billing and manifest with the cooperation of the unions.
“We are now enforcing on the Achaba and Keke Napep to update their particulars. We are doing body numbering for the Keke Napep to make sure that we know who is actually in the business, to improve security and also safety on the road and to generate more revenue,” he argued.
Alhaji Mu’azu Usman who commended the support of the state governor Bala Mohammad for the enabling environment created for the board to operate, called on the tax paying public to redouble effort in paying their taxes promptly to pave the way for government to provide more dividends of democracy.
He disclosed that from the year 2020 to date, the BIRS have been complementing the governor’s developmental projects being executed in the state with the internally generated revenue.
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